One of the few things I agree with some libertarians on is the idea of cognitive liberty. Even though I've abused drugs in the past, and now avoid any substance that feels too good, I haven't changed my view that the drug war is insane, and we should err more on the side of personal freedom. But I'm not an absolutist on that, or much else.
Although I thought guns were cool and fun as a teenager, I've outgrown that obsession and mostly associate them with pain and death and vulgar displays of power and paranoia. But I'm not an absolutist about gun rights. Like with most things, there's a balance to be struck. It's not my hobby, but I can imagine people with legit concerns about self-defense, or just feeling entitled to a hobby as long as it doesn't hurt others.
I hope for a world with more freedoms for drug use. But good god, can you imagine if rights for users were ANYTHING LIKE the freedoms that gun owners have in america, freedoms that single-issue gun rights voters demand never be rolled back an inch? And can you imagine if I acted the way these gun-nuts act about their hobby? Here's a silly story I wrote in an attempt to imagine it:
I'm at Walmart, buying two grams of carfentanyl as I normally do after every second paycheque. No waiting period, no background check, no sanity check, let alone any paperwork to show I might be in need of elephant-grade pain relief. Last week I was feeling pretty down about the prospects of any future in this world, and frankly, beyond the ideation phase of suicide - I did have some plans written down, but I deleted the text file and nobody needs to know. Today I'm feeling a little more up, albeit angsty, and it's just to take the edge off. Yes, I need carfentanyl, shut up, it's not your business. Heroin has long since lost its effectiveness for me, in fact I'm getting tolerant to plain old fentanyl, who are you to tell me the carfent is too potent? Anyway, Walmart is out of methamphetamine, so I pop over to a drug show in the afternoon. Plenty there, I'll need some up to balance out the fent, don't want to be too noddy for the barbecue this evening. There's a crack booth too, so I pick up some for my cousin. He's turning thirteen next week, so it'll make a great gift, it's time the boy learned how to smoke. I'm excited to gift him my father's crack pipe when he's ready, it's a fine piece, been in my family for generations.
On the way home there are some annoying protesters waving signs about drug control. I guess there was a mass fent poisoning in Seattle yesterday, gawd, so they want to take away the rights of all us responsible users? And the radio said Washington State's got the strictest drug control measures in the country, so clearly drug control doesn't work. Oh, it's Purdue lobbying the government, they say, Mylan buying politicians, the Sackler family, Heather Bresch - blah blah blah. If they come for my rohypnol, I promise you, they better watch their damn drinks in the future, because we aren't going to take it lying down.
I'm a proud drug rights absolutist. I was baptized in dimethyltryptamine. I've been a member of the Church of the Inner Light since before I left the astral plane to inhabit a human body. This country was founded on liberty. Specific liberties. What part of "the pursuit of happiness" do you not understand, you nanny-state nazis? You want me to wait a week to buy my ketamine? But I want it now! How dare you infringe on my rights! Tyrant! What kind of SJW scold wants to flag people who drug their dates and post endlessly on social media with detailed fantasies about spiking their city's water supply with clonazepam? Do we want to live in a such an oppressive society, just for the dubious benefit of less mass-poisonings? The ban on aerosolized diacetylmorphine they're calling for in the wake of the Denver drugging is just the beginning, it's a slippery slope. Because what they really want is to ban all drugs, for everyone, forever! This issue, and only this issue, is why I vote. Because we can never give an inch! They'll take a mile. And keep taking!---
So, that would be a bad future. Even though I care about cognitive liberty, in the bizarre scenario where I lived in a world where politicians catered to my wacky culture based around dangerous narcotics, were terrified of upsetting me, and fully indulged my hobby, I would not be a drug-nut and demand that society endure continual mass death so I could have my freedoms extended fully in every direction. In that case, if my freedoms were causing, I dunno, mass fentanyl poisonings every day, maybe I would be willing to give a little bit, maybe accept some common-sense drug policy. Maybe I could even still have the right to cannabis products, alcohol, nicotine, coca leaves, opium, even some synthetics, we could take those freedoms a hell of a lot further before you get anywhere close to a situation analogous with the gun rights dystopia that exists now in america. Obviously, drugs and guns are different, and require different laws and standards - being an absolutist either way, about either issue, is stupid. But man, if I was a gun guy, I think I would maybe shut the fuck up right now, and let the victims of gun violence have some say in policy.
8 comments:
Hector my brother you've gotten guns all wrong. Guns are the ultimate statement against the state. If a crazed person comes to kill you in the night without a gun you may have to call upon the state to defend you but with a gun you can cut out the middleman and defend yourself. Guns are the ultimate libertarian statement.
Sorry, I don't subscribe to that world view. I can't think of a state that was ever held in check by citizens having guns. Look at America. Crazy gun ownership, and they're still bossed around by their elites, far worse than most other developed nations. They accept outrageous amounts of abuse and corruption, civil asset forfeiture [theft in other words] by the cops, wanton killing, their politicians have no accountability, there is a massive disconnect between what the people want and what they get from their government. They don't even have legal weed at the federal level even though 75% support it. I guess all their guns are not getting them much freedom, maybe they should buy MORE guns, if they just keep buying guns, eventually they'll be able to effect policy change! Also, statistically, people who own guns are more likely to kill themselves or a family member than the "crazed person coming to kill them in the night". It's a complete illusion that does nothing for regular people and only benefits gun manufacturers and weapons lobbies, and it's sad that folks get suckered into the gun culture myths. That said, I think people should be allowed to own guns, with sane limitations, I'm just disgusted by how it's used as a bullshit culture war issue that results in tens of thousands of needless deaths.
Oh Hector spoken like a true believer in morality. Who cares about tens of thousands of deaths? The US is a dumpster fire with overpopulation. Sorry it took me so long to respond. Been a busy winter.
Do I know you? You sound like a real edge lord. Yeah, I actually do care about some things and have empathy for some people. I don't believe in morality or anything really, but I can come to obvious conclusions about one of the many causes of said dumpster fire. I think anyone who's cheering on the great die-off oughta volunteer their own body first, but I guess that smacks of morality.
We have never met. For years I've drifted these blogs to pass time. I love reading what people write. Some of these blogs have a feel of a timeless Joseph Stalin quote. "The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic." The reason why I say that is that there is more media than a human can consume in a lifetime just in the English language. Most information consumed by the masses is probably as bad for them mentally as a Big Mac is physically. But blogs like yours must be read. To not read your work Hector and those like you is a tragedy. But to our slow burning discussion you say you don't believe in morality but empathy is seen by some as being intertwined with morality.
Hey Spider. I appreciate that you actually read my writing. That's really rare, and even rarer if it's someone I don't know personally. Pretty much no one reads what I write ever, not even my wife, but I have this compulsion to post. I'd like it if it wasn't totally just screaming into a void, so thanks for telling me a bit about yourself. And it's OK to disagree on some things, I regret my tone in responding to you, I was unnecessarily defensive. Depending on the mood I'm in, I can be more nihilistic and anti-political. Sometimes I'm in the other mode and all ready to die on certain hills. Sounds like we have similar thoughts about the glut of information in this age, and how it feels like a great thing and a terrible thing at the same time, and how it sometimes seems to drain all content, particularly mere words, of any value. But you're out there, reading them. Salut!
No hard feelings. We all have our art and formats of expression. Words are the hardest format now. With all Tik Tok, Youtube, and Twitch stuff now people are more interested in watching and interacting with the content creator in real time. The simple power of our language itself just don't glue people like they should. I actually need to dedicate some time and do more reading.
Do you write anywhere, mysterious stranger? Anywhere I could find you? Wanna chat or email?
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